Seat-fastener



A. B. HALSTED.

SEAT FASTBNER.

No. 320,243. Patented June 416, 1885.

UNiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT B. HALSTED, OF HOBART, -NET YORK.

SEAT- FASTEN ER.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,243, dated June 16,1885.

Application tiled January 2T, 18:5.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERT B. HALsTnn,' a citizen of the United States, residing at Hobart, in the county of Delaware and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seat-Fasteners, of which the. following is a specification.

My invention consists of a hook-stud and a key-latch on one side of the seat-risers, in conlbination with a box-cleat on the corresponding side of the rails whereon the risers rest, and being so contrived that in putting the seat in its position the hook-studs will drop through the recesses of the box-cleats and hook under the cleats at one end, and the key-lateheswill also drop through said recesses and wedge by their` gravity against the other cud to bind the hook-studs fast and to be themselves kept in position by the same means, said key-latches being connected to the risers by a pivot whereon they swing up and down to release or fasten the seat; and they are provided with a thumbbit by which to lift them, and with a guard-cleat for protection and support. Said cleats are also contrived to serve for staysto the hookstuds and for protection of the pivots of the `key-latches against thrusts ot' the seat in the forward direction, all making a very simple and effective fastening device for removable or detachable seats of wagons and other things or places in which such seats are used, as hereinafter fully described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which` Figure l is a transverse section of a wagonseat and an inside elevation of part of one side of a wagon-box, showing one of the fasteners in side elevation as when the seat is fastened. Fig. 2 is a similar view as when the seat is being put in position to illustrate the operation ofthe fastener. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the seat-riser, showing the fastener in top view, and Fig. 4 is a top View of the seat-rail and the box-cleat of the fastener.

On the inside of the seat-supporting rail a, and flush with the upper edge, or nearly so, I arrange and secure a box-cleat of metal, b, having a recess, c, of suitable length and eXtending through it vertically, and on the seat-riser d, I arrange a hook-stud, @and a fasteningkey,

]?, to engage with the box-cleat and secure the seat on the rail, the hook-stud being so litted (No model.)

that its head g will shift under the cleat back of one end of the recess c, after passing th rough the same to hold the seat down, and the key heilig so that it will drop into the recess and wedge fast against the other end ofthe recess when the head of the hook-stud shifts back, and secure it in that position. The hook-stud is permanently fastened to the side of the risem so as to project Vertical] y downward therefrom; but the key is a curved prong of a latch-bar, h, that extends along the scat-riser in the opposite direction of the hook-stud c a suitable distance to a pivot, fi, whereon it is mounted for a support, on which it may swing for shifting the key f in and out ofthe boxcleat; and the key-latch thus contrived is arranged within the guardcleatj, firmly secured to the riser, for the protection of said latch and for a stay to the hook-stud e.' The guard-cleat j has a curved recess, k, extending from top to bottom, for the key to work through. It also has a horizontal recess, I, along the upper edge to allow the bar h to drop in flush with the upper side, and it also has the notch m in the upper edge to allow the thumb-bit n, attached to the key`latch for lifting it, to fall in. The edge of the key f, working against the curved shoulder o of the box-cleat b, is a little eccentric to said shoulder, so as to wedge against it and crowd the hook-stud c home on shoulder p, to hold it firmly and prevent rattling, and the upper end ofthe key closes in snugly against shoulder q ol" guard-cleatj, so that the shoulder takes the clfeet of the forward thrusts of the seat and relieves the latch-pivot of them. The opposite thrusts are resisted by the hookstud c and shoulder p of the box-cleat.

The hook-stud is to be boxed into or otherwise suitably connected with the rear end of the guard-cleat, to be firmly stayed thereby in its connection with the scat-riser a.

The key-latch f h is pivoted on the fastening-bolt t', and the hook-stud e may be secured by the fastening-boltt of the guardcleat; or it may be made integral with said cleat.

It will be seen that all the parts are of very simple contrivance, adapted for being made in the cheapest manner by casting them in malleable iron or steel, and they require no fitting except boring the holes for the bolts employed to fasten them on the respect-ive parts to which IOO they belong. There are no detachable parts that are liable to be lost. All the parts are strong and durable, and the method of manipulating them is of the simplest character.

By the arrangement of the key on the pivoted latch-bar extended along the guard-cleatin the recess of the same, I provide a much more substantial, durable, and reliable device than the sliding` key as it has been heretofore arranged in connection with a similar studhook on the riser, and a box-cleat on the seatsupport, and the arrangement of the key-latch 011 the seat riser is a more simple and convenient contrivance than on the seat-snpport,as it has been fixed, because in that case it has to be lifted by hand when the seat is put in position, whereas, when pivoted on the riser, it is lifted by the seat-support when put in position.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The hook-stud e and key-latch fh,attached to the seat-riser c, in combination with the guard-cleat j on the seat-riser, and the boxcleat b on the seat-supporting rail a, said key f consisting of a curved prong of the latch-bar l1, fitted on the pivot z' of the guard-cleat, and said guard-cleat having a curved recess, k, for the key, substantially as described.

2. The key-latch f h, having the thumb-bit mand' being` pivoted .to the seat-riser Within the guard-cleatj, having the recesses k and Z, and notch m, in combination with the hookstud c, attached to the seat-riser, and the boxcleat b, attached to the rail a, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tw'o subscribing Witnesses.

ALBERT B. HALS'IED. 

